1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved process and apparatus for selecting an item from a database, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and apparatus for rapidly selecting items from a list of items identified by an informational field.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many applications on computing devices which require selection from a list where the item identifier for the list is text based. Such applications include selecting a contact from an address book, selecting a record from a database, selecting a word from a dictionary, etc. In these applications, the user has to enter enough information to narrow a search of the list down to a single entry or a subset of entries for selection. This selection process requires entering several of the initial letters of the search term resulting in a smaller subset of the list and then scrolling through the subset to manually point out the desired items.
The process is cumbersome and requires the user to be able to enter any letter in their language's alphabet as well as possibly numbers and other symbols. This is particularly onerous on devices with limited interfaces such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), remote controls, games consoles, etc.
On hand held devices with a keypad such as mobile phones (see, FIG. 1), the entry of alphabetic characters as well as numbers and symbols is achieved by repeatedly pressing the 12 number keys (0 to 9 and “*” and “#”). This method is complicated and unnatural. It requires accurate presses of generally very small buttons and results in accidental pressing of adjacent buttons. This conventional system also requires the user to be able to read and discern very small labels on the buttons, requires constant shift of gaze between buttons and the screen to track the input, and only allows the entry of one character at a time.
Other handheld devices, such as a PDA, accept input through a touch screen (see, FIG. 2). These devices allow entry of search terms through generally two methods—an on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition.
The on-screen keyboard method involves presenting an image of a keyboard on the screen. The buttons on the on-screen keyboard are often too small to be selected using fingers so a stylus is required. Additionally, the process is slow, and selection of individual characters is prone to errors. There are additional disadvantages to the on-screen keyboard method. For example, in the on-screen keyboard method, access to numbers and additional symbols usually requires at least two presses as they require the keyboard to go into another mode to allow access to them, small key images are hard to see for those with any impairment of vision and hard to select for those with limited dexterity, characters are only entered one at a time, and the process generally requires two hands.
Handwriting recognition systems are disadvantageous because of the high error rate in recognising characters, the need for a stylus for input, the time required to enter each letter, the constant cycle of entry and checking the entry and correction of misinterpretation of entries, characters are only entered one at a time, and the process generally requires two hands.
Even using a full keyboard to specify the characters to select is disadvantageous because it is still necessary to enter one character at a time; it is still necessary to enter enough characters to generate a manageable subset list and then select from it or it is necessary to enter sufficient characters each time to uniquely identify the entry which may require all of the entry to be specified; except for adept touch typists there is still a need to constantly move one's gaze between the keyboard and the screen.
In addition to the text based systems described above, selection from a list may also be done through a directional control input or some similar method.
Devices that do not have additional keys or input mechanisms for text input, are often limited to one or more directional input mechanisms such as a joystick or selection wheel plus, in some instances, a number of other buttons dedicated to certain functions. Devices in this category include such things as games consoles, handheld games systems, music players, and video players. Other devices, such as mobile phones, combine text input and/or other directional means to make selections.
In order to select an item using these systems the user has to use the directional control in conjunction with an on-screen representation of the list to navigate through the list of available items. This process becomes increasingly slow and complex in proportion to the size of the list.
Refining the list using character entry to enter a filter string is particularly difficult for devices with no additional controls for text entry as text entry is often achieved through selecting each character by navigating around an onscreen list of characters.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of selecting items from a list.